A Quest for Peace
by Apon1892
Summary: Robin sets out to find the means to everlasting peace, with the help of a future princess, as well as many others along the way. Robin x 2nd Gen
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening, its characters, or the story image. This story is heavily inspired by the story of "The Legend of Legendary Heroes".**

Robin opened his eyes slowly, his mental faculties slowly starting to return to him. No light entered his field of vision, and all he could see was the pitch darkness stretching out in front of him. He tried to move, but everything he did was sluggish and uncoordinated. He flexed his fingers by opening and closing them into a fist, though everything was slow, as if he was currently severely ill. Eventually, after a few minutes of a blank mind and fist clenching, Robin started to notice the things around him.

He was laying on a hay-stuffed mattress, which was set on the ground, his long Plegian coat being the only source of warmth he had. A faint dripping noise could be heard coming from some distance away, and the noise seemed to echo. The air felt cool and damp, and not a ray of light was coming from anywhere.

Robin slowly sat himself up into a sitting position, his legs hanging over the side of the mattress with his feet set upon the stone floor. He used his right hand to push back his white hair behind his ears. It had grown long, the length of it reaching his shoulders and his bangs easily covered his eyes should his hair be left to its own devices.

His mind quickly jumpstarted, as he started remembering the events that had transpired to lead him to this dismal place.

He was currently residing in the underground cells of the Ylissean palace. After Grima, the dark dragon which threatened to end the world, had been sent back to his resting place by the hand of the Exalt Chrom, the king of Ylisse, the citizens saw Chrom as a hero. He left the plane of which mortals lie, and entered into the region strictly reserved for leaders that are separate from human kind. These are the types of people which are infallible, people who cannot and will not make a mistake. The people of the country Ylisse latched onto him as a savior, and he now bore the name "hero".

The Shepherds, the military group which Chrom led and was thus responsible for Grima's defeat, were also put into this plane of heroes. All of them, except for one soul. Even with Chrom's insistence to the people that the tactician Robin bore no threat to them, the citizens of Ylisse saw him only as a monster that needed to be killed.

To a certain extent, these people were correct in their judgement. His soul was invariably linked to the dark dragon's. For Robin's entire life, he bore the crest of Grima, a six eyed purple marking on the back of his right hand. This blood connection had allowed him to be controlled multiple times by the dragon's power, to so much extent that he had betrayed the exalt at one of their most important missions. However, the Shepherds had (mostly) never given him any blame for that incident.

When Grima had been exiled back to slumber by Chrom's sword, Falchion, Robin had hoped the connection would be severed and the mark that tainted him would disappear. Unfortunately, the mark did not fade. There was still possibility that he would be controlled at some point by the dark forces of the world. The people of Ylisse eventually caught wind of this information, the source of which was never found, and started calling for the legendary tactician's head.

Chrom and the other Shepherds insisted to the people that Robin bore them not threat, but despite these testimonies from heroes, the people would not stand it. Their love for Robin had turned to loathing in less than a day, and their outcries were only getting worse. The people stood at the edge of rebellion, all because Chrom wouldn't turn on his best friend.

Finally, Robin had come to Chrom late one night, and insisted on his own imprisonment. This way, at least the people would calm down for the time being while they figured out a strategy. However, when Chrom announced the arrest for the former-grandmaster of the Ylissean armies, the citizens still were not satisfied. They called for his death, and there was no sight of them giving up such a request.

After a long conversation, Robin finally had given Chrom a sad smile, and sentenced himself to execution. This way, the world could move on, and Ylisse would be saved.

In Robin's mind, his one life was nothing compared to all those that would be lost should a rebellion break out.

He smiled sadly again to himself. He had played out his execution and it's affect a million times in his head. Chrom and the Shepherds would likely be devastated, but he was sure they could eventually recover. His one concern was his daughter, Morgan. Their blood relation had been kept secret from the public, and only the Shepherds knew the truth. She had come from the future, like many of the Shepherd's children, to aid in the fight against the dark dragon. The difference with Morgan, however, was she had no memory of her mother. And her white hair that matched her father's didn't offer any clue to the identity of Robin's future wife.

To hide the relation between the two when Robin was sentenced to jail, Morgan's hair was died brown, a color matching that of the Exalt's wife, Sumia.

Since Morgan was only a few years younger than the majority of the Shepherd's, likely around the age of 18 (her true age had been forgotten to her), the queen had claimed that Morgan was her long lost sister and put an end to any suspicion of Morgan's family history. She was currently serving as the new grandmaster of Ylisse, a title Robin was sure she would do well in. Unfortunately, Robin was unsure how long it would take for her to get over his death. Likely, she would be torn, but this is why Robin had trained Chrom in tactics. He was always preparing contingency plans, and in a case where he was gone and nobody else could lead, he wanted Chrom to have a basic understanding of tactics so that he could win most battles he entered.

Now, Robin had three days until his execution date. Chrom had pushed it back as much as he could, but the people's threat to rebel and kill Robin themselves finally forced his hand. Robin had spent almost half a year in his cell, frequently getting visits from both the Exalt and his daughter. During his time, he felt no regrets.

In truth, the people's fears and words struck true to his heart. He knew he was a monster. He knew his life was a threat to those he loved, and he couldn't bear the thought. The people's words had turned him into the hardworking man he used to be to somebody who slept almost all day, if for no other reason than to lower any possibility of him hurting someone else. Him being relieved of his duties of ensuring millions of people lived also didn't aid in his turning into a man that wanted nothing more than to sleep the day away.

In his six month sentence, Robin had also read many books. Philosophy, mathematics, physics, magic, anything he could get his hands on. Though he slept over half the day each day, he had managed to go through the entire contents of the royal library, and wrote a memoir to Chrom with his final remaining weeks. In it, he detailed a plan for hope. A plan with which he believed a permanent peace could be attained, using the artifacts of heroes past. Robin had suspicion that Naga, the divine counterpart to Grima, had not only brought about Chrom's sword but many other artifacts capable of destroying evil. However, Robin focused more on the Fire Emblem, a shield that was blessed by Naga's divine fire, a weapon capable of mass destruction. Robin surmised, with the help of ancient literature, that the so called Fire Emblem wasn't actually the shield. He believed there was a full set of armor, along with a sword and shield, whose collective name was the Fire Emblem. When all pieces were assembled, the wearer became equal to a god, and would be able to conquer entire countries in just a day.

Robin's plan was to gather these pieces, from wherever they may be, and distribute them to each country in the world. His premise was mutually assured destruction, in which no country dare attack the other, since both possess such destructive capabilities that a war between two bearers of pieces of the Fire Emblem would result in the destruction of both their countries. As such, Robin believed permanent peace could be achieved.

His memoir was almost finished, and with it he believed Chrom could spur on the age of peace, even without him being there.

At least, that was Robin's plan…..

A large crashing noise followed by a cloud of dust came from the wall that Robin's bed was pressed against. Sunlight quickly filled the room, a gaping hole in the wall having just appeared. Robin covered his eyes while they adjusted, unable to make out who had just intruded. He was without weapon, so if an assassin had invaded, he would be unable to defend himself. However, no harm came to him, just silence once the rubble settled.

When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he found a certain blue-haired princess standing in the room with him, albeit standing as far as she could away from him.

"Uh….Lucina?" Robin finally asked.

The girl in question was the future daughter of Chrom and Sumia. She was the leader of the group of children that traveled back in time to aid the Shepherds in their battle against Grima. She was just a year younger than her parents, though she seemed much more mature than them, in Robin's opinion. Of course, he had not spoken much to her in her time with the Shepherds, as she was always just focused on her mother and father. Though her apparent appreciation for personal space was something he had not seen before.

"I have been instructed by father, unofficially, to break you out of your cell and take you far away from here"

Robin's face turned from startled to tired as he sat back down on his bed. He had expected Chrom to come up with some escape plan to protect him from death, but the people would never accept that. They would turn on Chrom once they saw he was not actively trying to catch the monster of a man.

"Look, I know Chrom wants to save me, but there's no point in just letting me leave. The people would never let that happen."

Lucina's face remained unfaltering.

"I am to assume the role of a traitor that assisted in freeing the deviant known as Robin, whilst my sister leads the Justice Cabal to capture us. Meanwhile, Chrom makes only the request that you, and this is in his words, 'follow your own orders and find me peace'".

Robin looked down at the memoir pages that were now strewn about on the ground, trying to think of when Chrom might have read them.

"How exactly did Chrom know….wait, what do you mean deviant?" Robin asked, the word leaving a strange taste in his mouth. Of all things he had been called, deviant was never one of them.

Lucina turned a light shade of red as she broke eye contact and stared at the ground, pushing her body somehow further away from Robin.

"Father told me to help you escape…..but he warned me to stay far away from you….he said you…he said you go after all the helpless girls, and that you are a sexual deviant who cannot control himself" Lucina finally finished, her voice wearing out towards the end.

Robin opened and closed his mouth a few times, unable to form a response.

"He _what_?" He finally said in an exacerbated voice.

Lucina quickly drew her sword, the future Falchion, and quickly pointed it at Robin.

"He entrusted me to be your guardian during this journey to make sure you don't prey on any other poor woman! He knew I would never fall for your wiles, and thus I have taken the task of watching over you!" She declared, her voice strangely stoic for the words she just said.

Robin covered his face with his hands. He had no doubt that Chrom told this whole story to his daughter, but why couldn't he realize that Lucina was unable to distinguish a joke from truth. Though, the more he thought about it, the more he realized Chrom probably wasn't joking, even though Robin had never so much as kissed a girl in his life.

"I have a feeling this is going to get old, really fast" Robin whined out to nobody in particular.

"Quiet! Get on your feet, we must get going before the guards catch up to us. We have already wasted enough time" Lucina spoke from her place far away from Robin.

"You know, this is going to be a long trip if you insist on staying that far away from me all the time" Robin said as he stood on his feet.

"Ha, you will never catch me with your charm, deviant. I will honor father's words, and will never allow you to catch me off guard."

Robin stretched himself before turning to look at the hole in his cell wall.

"I'm not a deviant, alright? Your father is just joking around, I've never done that. Now do you have a weapon for me, or am I just running around defenseless?"

"Like I would arm one such as yourself, you would only turn against me and force yourself on me. Father warned me of your tricks" Lucina said, Falchion still extended out at Robin.

"Yup. Getting old fast. Look, I'm entirely sure that you are a much better master of the sword than I will ever be, so the chance that I will best you in a battle are slim to none. Now please just give me a sword so we can get out of here" Robin said, his voice full of annoyance. He received a sharp stabbing pain to his buttocks in return for his request.

"OW! Why would you do that!?"

"I told you that we must get moving. Now stop dawdling and get going, the troops will be on us before we know it. MOVE!" Lucina yelled, thrusting Falchion towards Robin again, though this time he moved fast enough to dodge it.

"Fine! I'm going! I already have a feeling that this will be a long journey" he said to himself as he climbed the rubble into the palace garden. Once he was up, he turned to help Lucina up, but she had already made it to the grass in the time it took him to turn around, her face bearing no emotion, as it always was.

"How do you even move that fast?" He cried out. Lucina gave him a glance, then increased the distance between them by hopping backwards.

"Is this how it's going to be the entire journey?" He asked, his face drooping. Lucina still held Falchion as she glared at him.

"It will be, unless you prefer me to shackle you and drag you around by rope." She said, full seriousness in her voice.

Robin turned and started walking towards the palaces outer walls.

"On second thought, I think this arrangement works perfectly" he grumbled to himself. Lucina followed alongside him as the two crept around the palace gates, able to sneak past all the guards and got out into the city of Ylisstol.

"Wait here deviant" Lucina said as she quickly scurried towards a clothing shop.

"I have a name, you know" Robin said to the empty air.

"Wait…" Robin quickly remembered how awful Lucina's taste in clothing was, and feared for whatever she would come out with. Around ten minutes passed before she finally returned.

"Lose all your clothes and put these on, they will let us escape easier."

Lucina handed Robin a surprisingly normal outfit, which consisted of long black combat pants, a blue cloak with a hood, and a long sleeved gray shirt. Robin stood still looking between the clothes and Lucina for a few moments.

"What's wrong?" Lucina finally asked, her voice full of impatience.

"While your whole idea of me is incorrect, I feel like me stripping down in front of you won't help my case" Robin finally said.

Lucina blushed heavily before smacking Robin's head with Falchion's sheath. Robin fell to the ground and rubbed the back of his head.

"Just…why?" He asked, no longer having the energy to fight whatever misconceptions that Chrom had filled his daughter's head with.

"How dare you try to win me over with your charms and deviancy! It will never work!" She yelled at him.

"Alright, whatever. Just go over there so I can change" Robin resigned. Once the princess had left him, he quickly changed into the clothes she had given him and dumped his faithful old coat into a nearby trash bin, his heart breaking as he did so. He pulled up his hood and came out to meet Lucina.

"I do say I did a wonderful job picking those clothes. Maybe being around one as pure as me will cure your deviancy" Lucina said without skipping a beat before turning to lead them towards the city gates.

"Sure, whatever you say. Anyways, do you know where we are headed?" He asked while they walked.

"I'm only here to watch over you, not to provide direction" She answered. Surprisingly, she was letting Robin walk next to her without any visual balking. She had probably just forgotten about the ruse Chrom was putting her through, Robin surmised. There was no way that Lucina of all people had not only understood the Exalt's joke, but was also following through and keeping it going. Robin didn't believe she had that capacity in her.

"So I guess navigator duty falls on me then. According to my research, we should first head for the southern tip of Plegia. After we stock up on supplies, that is. Though I don't recommend we stock up here, we should get at least half a day's travel away from here before we stop." He said. Lucina glanced at him and nodded. Robin looked up at the blue sky, finally appreciating it for the first time that day as they approached the city gates. This would be the first time he had seen it in half a year, and it had never looked so beautiful.

* * *

"Justice Cabal! We have been given strict orders to capture the escapee and their partner and bring them back here to justice!" Cynthia yelled to her troops, which consisted of Nah, Owain and Inigo. They were a small band that was put together as a reconnaissance team, but Chrom had assigned them to hunt down and capture the prisoner Robin, and the unknown assistant in his escape.

"Are you sure we have to do this? We know Robin isn't guilty of anything" Nah pointed out from her seat at the table in the Justice Cabal's small base of operations.

"Nah, a hero must never disobey an order from their leader. Though Robin is a good friend, my blood seeks only justice, and it will deliver it if it's the last thing I do!" Owain yelled with increasing enthusiasm. Nah nodded meekly at his response, still conflicted as to if what they were doing was right.

"We know he is innocent, but the people are sure to rebel if we just let him go. While I don't find this pleasant either, we must do it. Besides, maybe our chase will lead us to the beauties of the world" Inigo chimed in, his eyes lost in a daydream.

"Do you remember when Chrom was telling us, and by us I mean Lucina, about how she needed to avoid Robin at all costs because he would charm any lady in a 500 mile radius? Why did he never say anything about you, Inigo?" Nah replied, her voice having genuine curiosity.

"Perhaps the Exalt realizes how fantastic of a lad I am" Inigo said, full of confidence.

"Methinks he just doesn't think Lucina would fall for you" Owain said, breaking his usual heroic speech in favor of a simple response, crushing Inigo's ego.

"Well, I don't think we have to worry, because we will capture Robin before anything can happen!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"If for nothing else, it is because we all know that every pega-princess needs her pega-prince!" She added.

The whole group let out a collective groan. It was no secret that Cynthia had a crush on the tactician. For that matter, it seemed that many women found themselves attracted to the man. When Chrom had warned on Robin's charms, he wasn't just sprouting lies, but rather half-truths. If he wanted, the former tactician could likely gain the affection of any woman he so wanted.

"Enough groaning! The Justice Cabal has a mission, and we will succeed!" Cynthia yelled again, giving an end to the meeting.

* * *

Two men met in secret under the cover of a sandstone building in the middle of a deserted village. The glanced all around them and out at the sands surrounding the village before exchanging a set of documents for a priceless jewel that had been stolen from a nobleman. As the two exchanged a few words before separating from their meeting spot, a shadow began trailing the one with the set of documents. The man turned over his shoulder, thinking he had heard someone, only to find nothing but sand behind him. He set back moving forward, as the shadowed figure rose up, sand rolling off them as they had quickly burrowed themselves in the dirt.

The shadow was wearing all tan clothing, with a scarf covering their entire head and face except for a slit for their eyes. They felt all the heat from the hot sun, but carried on despite it. They trailed the man for a mile before deciding they had gone far enough into the desert that nobody would ever find the body. They closed the gap and shoved a hand over the man's mouth and plunged a dagger into his heart. The shadow held onto the man, muffling any dying screams, before he finally went limp. The shadow retrieved the documents and set about burying the body in a shallow grave. This would hide the presence to travelers, but would allow for the nighttime creatures to find and dispose of the body.

The shadow left the body and headed for a village to the west, where they had an inn room reserved. Once they were safely in their room, the shadow pulled off the scarf covering their head, revealing long red ponytails and the silky white skin of a woman.

Severa coughed out any sand that had gotten in her mouth as she laid the scarf on the bed next to her, finally examining out the documents she had taken. She had been working as an Ylissean spy within Plegia for over a year now, and had been tracking a group that appeared to want to start another war with Ylisse.

"Hmm…what do we have here?" She wondered aloud as she unrolled a map with a large "X" marked near the southern tip of Plegia and the letters "FE" marked.

"Looks like I know where I'm going next. Gawds, I hope this actually leads me somewhere" She said as she rewrapped her head with the scarf before tossing the map into the fireplace and igniting it with a match.

* * *

"You know, when I said supplies, I was meaning just the essentials" Robin said as Lucina gathered up many different food and camping supplies from the store they found in a nearby village.

"One must always have the necessary supplies to deal with a deviant" She replied bluntly.

"Ignoring that, how exactly will seventeen figurines of Chrom help us?" He asked, holding one of the many wooden figures that Lucina had purchased.

Lucina's eyes quickly grew soft as she swooned over the figure of her father.

"Does not the image of this great man cause hope to pour out of your soul?" She said as she gently took the figurine from Robin.

"No. No actually, it pretty much has the opposite effect." He stated coldly. He was met with a smack to the back of the head from Falchion's sheath.

"Perhaps this proves how much of a deviant you are, if you can't even see how noble and just father is" Lucina said as she put the figuring back into her pack before picking it up and strapping it to her shoulders.

"I'm sure that's what it is. Didn't you used to be all…gloomy and 'we must save the future'"? He asked, remembering how reluctant Lucina used to be to say more than two words to anybody that didn't bear her blood.

"The future was saved, and I found hope and inspiration in these figurines. Do those satisfy your questions?" Lucina asked. Robin stopped, scared to ask his next question.

"How many of those figurines do you actually have?"

"Why, I believe I have filled three rooms at the castle, no two figurines being the same" She answered in earnest. Robin let out a long sigh as he started walking towards the Ylissean-Plegian border, forcing Lucina to quicken her pace to catch up to him.

"Let's just get one thing straight, I'm not some deviant, alright?" He said in one final attempt to get Chrom's brain washing out of her.

"That is something only a deviant would say. Father warned me you would try these tricks" She answered.

"ARRGH! Damnit Chrom, why can't your daughter take a joke!?" He yelled out to the sky, before dejectedly resuming his march to bring peace to the world, with nothing but the pack on his back, a new sword at his hip, a thunder tome in his pocket, and a princess that thought of him as a sexual deviant at his side.

* * *

"So you let him get away?" Frederick asked as he approached the throne of the Exalt, where Chrom sat.

"Yes, I figured the least I owed to him was a day's head start before Cynthia starts chasing after him." He answered solemnly.

"Milord, are you sure the people will just let this stand?" Frederick asked. He meant no malice, he had actually grown to appreciate the tactician. He simply feared for his lord's head, should the people revolt.

"As far as common knowledge goes, nobody knows that we had any hand in Robin's escape, and the people will feel at ease that the Justice Cabal was sent after them" Chrom replied.

Frederick simply nodded and scurried off back out of the throne room leaving Chrom to his thoughts.

"My friend…..I hope you find that peace you wrote of. If you can accomplish that, the people will no doubt accept you. Then, our little family can finally be reunited…." He trailed off, remembering the happy days when he led the Shepherds and didn't have to worry about any politics. His fist clenched as he remembered the night he and Robin discussed his execution. He had not shed that many tears since his sister Emmeryn's death.

"Please Robin…succeed in your mission…and don't you dare lay a finger on my daughters" He finished, his eyes staring off at the ceiling in a daydream.

* * *

 **A/N: So here is a little story break from my regular works. This story is something that came from the manga/anime "The Legend of Legendary Heroes", and I felt the characters fit FE:A nicely. Thus, this story has been born. I will still be writing the Life series, however this is something a bit different. There is no set pairing currently, which means Robin could end up with any of the 2** **nd** **gen females (or all of them). Anyways, expect lots of action, the humor that I have in my other writings, and a large twisted backstory to hold everything together. Maybe a romantic moment here or there, but we shall see. Since this is an experimental story, please leave a review letting me know if you think this story is worth continuing!**

 **-Austin**


	2. Plegia Part 1

**Chapter 2: Plegia Part 1**

"Don't you ever get tired?" Robin asked to Lucina. They had completed their march all the way to the Plegian border in just three days, a feat that Robin was less than happy about. He had grown used to sleeping all day, but during their march Lucina hardly let him get any rest. In total, he could count the hours of sleep he had gotten these few days on one hand.

"If I grew tired, I would be failing father" She said, her usual expressionless face present.

Robin let out a long groan as he adjusted the straps on his pack, which seemed to grow heavier by the minute.

"When we finally cross that border, we are taking a day long break so I can catch up on my naps. Seriously, even Chrom wasn't this much of a slave driver to the Shepherds. And what do you mean you would be failing him?" He asked, although the second he saw Lucina look down and away with a blush, he knew what was coming.

"If I were to rest, you would pounce like the wild beast you are, and father would know I had failed to take his advice" She said in an overly-dramatic tone. Robin's head dropped so that his long hair now covered his eyes.

"I still don't know if this is a joke or not. Knowing you, I'm leaning towards the "not-a-joke" side. Also, if I'm so dangerous, why are you walking so close to me?" He asked, noticing that they were only about a foot apart, much less than they had been the whole journey.

"Why, if I let you get too far away, you may prey on all the other women. I must stay close enough to punish you if you ever show any signs of losing to your carnal nature" Lucina replied, once again in dramatic fashion.

"And how, pray tell, will you-" Robin begun, before he was struck to the back of the head with Falchion's sheath with such speed that he didn't even see Lucina move.

He was sent flying forward a few feet, then went face first into the dirt road. His cloak flew up and covered his head, leaving him as a heap on the ground. Deciding this was as a good a place as any, Robin immediately took the opportunity to begin his nap.

Lucina stood still for a moments, waiting for the man to got to his feet. When he didn't move, Lucina cautiously approached him, unsheathing Falchion in the process. Right in front of her, Robin's backside was raised up in the air and made for perfect pickings.

As quiet as a mouse, she raised Falchion and inched it closer to her target.

Right before she made contact, Robin rolled out of the way and kicked the blade up, sending Lucina off balance and getting to his feet at the opportunity. Lucina did a backflip to keep with the sword's momentum, landing on her feet before lunging with blinding speed at Robin, who quickly found a blade at his throat.

"Was that one of your tactics to take advantage of me?" Lucina asked, a slight fury in her voice.

Robin slowly put his hands in the air in concession to his defeat.

"No, I'm not trying to do anything. I just already get enough pains to the arse without you poking me with that damn sword"

Lucina put a hand to her face as if she was covering tears and turned away.

"Oh, those poor maidens of Ylisse! What exactly are you making them do to you, you filthy deviant!?" She asked aloud.

It was Robin's turn to blush now, as he became increasingly aware of their close proximity to a village and noticed they were well in earshot of other people.

"Shush! I don't do that!" He cried out in anguish, but Lucina wouldn't let it go.

"Run villagers! Run far away from this man, he will steal away your daughters and do horrid things!" She started yelling.

Robin pulled his cloak up tight, covering his face.

"What exactly does Chrom tell you about me, anyways?" He grumbled.

"Father only tells me the truth, of course. He has warned me of your charms"

"So you admit I have a certain charm about me?" He retorted with a sly smile. He was answered with a smack to the face.

"You could never charm one as pure as I. Now come, you have wasted enough times with your games" Lucina said as she marched towards the village, leaving Robin dumbfounded.

"How is any of this my fault!?" He exclaimed. Lucina ignored him and continued onto the main road of the small town. A few shops had been set up along the road, however their goods seemed to be sparse. A fruit and vegetable stand had been set up on the left side, however it mostly had just cabbage and oranges, a slim selection even for such a small town. There was only one restaurant on the right side of the road, which served up rice mixed with different spices, however a sign was placed on the door stating that it had run out of meat.

A few more buildings that appeared to be remnants of other stores lay strewn next to the road as well, but they all seemed to have closed down their business long ago. A few tan children ran up and down the street, chastising the old lady that currently ran the fruit stand. Every now and then Robin could make out a person in a window of a house behind the other buildings, but there didn't seem to be any life in the town. They had put Ylisse behind them, and had definitely reached the first village in Plegia.

Robin turned around to further inspect his surroundings, noting that they were on the border of the Plegian desert. Half the main village had patches of grass and a few trees, but as one traveled west along the road, the village promptly turned to sitting on only sand. A well stood far off to the left of the main road, towards the south. Robin also noted from the few people he saw that there was a sense of fear in their eyes.

When he made eye contact with one of the adult villagers, they quickly turned away and acted as if they had never seen him. Robin cautiously turned himself back facing forward, and quickened his pace so he was just a stride behind Lucina.

"There's something up with this place" He whispered. Lucina nodded her head, trying to keep attention away from the pair.

"I can see an inn up at the end of the road, let's stop there. They probably have some food, and we can get information on what is going on here. As well as getting our bearings for where to head next." Robin spoke slowly and softly, using his hood to conceal his mouth in case anybody was watching them. While they were clear of Ylisse, he doubted they could make their escape without any pursuers following from Ylisstol.

Lucina again responded with a nod, and the two continued to casually approach the inn, as such not to draw attention to themselves.

The inn was an unpainted wooden building with two stories. The first floor contained a desk at the entryway for guests to check in, with an unmanned bar off to the side. The second floor contained five rooms that could be rented, each only containing a bed and a small table. The inn was barren of people except for the innkeeper, who was a skinny old man with short white hair and tan skin, that neither showed excitement nor annoyance when Robin and Lucina entered.

"We need two rooms, how much for the night?" Robin promptly asked. The innkeeper looked back and forth between the two of them, deciphering where the pair of travelers had come from.

"15 gold" the innkeeper replied with no emotion in his voice, as if he was not really there. Robin felt a chill down his spine, and his instincts pointed to something dangerous in this town, but decided they needed a room and this place was as good as they could get. He threw down a few coins that Lucina had given him and took the keys from the innkeeper without exchanging any other words. He followed Lucina up the stairs, and came close when she abruptly stopped at the top.

"Keep your ears open. There is something wrong in this town, but nobody seems like they would speak openly about it" She said in a hushed voice. Robin nodded and headed down the hall to his left towards his room, but stopped when Lucina gave a quiet whistle.

"Robin, if you dare come to my room while I sleep, I will make sure you can never see anything again." She said, her voice strangely upbeat for the message. Robin let out a sigh and gave a halfhearted wave to acknowledge her before turning and unlocking his room. Lucina was down the hall, the furthest room from his.

His room was bland, the bed only having some white sheets and a single pillow. The desk was a simple wooden one, unpainted and unused for some time. There was no chair in the room, so Robin figured the desk must just be used to place one's belongings on. He went to the sole window and stared outside. Dusk was slowly approaching, a mixture of orange and yellow coloring the sky. The children had disappeared from the main road, likely called in for supper.

Speaking of supper, Robin quickly noticed the emptiness of his stomach. He and Lucina had been surviving on scraps alone, pieces of bread and a few chunks of cheese that Robin was able to steal from inattentive merchants. They couldn't afford to actually purchase food while in Ylisse, in the case that somebody recognized them.

However, Robin also remembered his lack of sleep, and decided that the need for sleep won out. He threw his pack onto the desk and collapsed onto his bed, not even bothering to remove his boots. He brought the sheet up over his eyes to block out the sunlight and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

"We are hot on the trail, Justice Cabal! With the latest intel, the fugitive should be in the first town past the border!" Cynthia yelled from the back of her Pegasus. She was met with a collective groan from the remaining members of her group. She had pushed them hard during their travels so that they could catch up to Robin and his assistant, with Nah constantly staying in dragon form (despite the horror the villagers of Ylisse faced at the sight) and Owain and Inigo following on horseback.

"Cynthia, you've said that ten times now. We have been moving at such speed that I haven't had any time to chat with the local maidens" Inigo said with great exhaustion.

"Alas, a hero has no time for rest, especially not the mighty Owain Dark! Although, perhaps it is best to always be prepared by getting some sleep…." Owain added, his voice trailing off.

"We do not falter at mere fatigue! Especially not when the target is so close! Now get those lazy butts in gear!" Cynthia added with a sense of finality as she spurred her Pegasus onwards. They were about to cross the border into Plegia as night fell upon them. The village their intel was pointing them towards was about another hour ride, so they should easily make it by midnight. Cynthia could only hope she could catch her beloved Robin before he left the village.

"Are you sure it is alright to head into Plegia in our state?" Nah asked with a fair amount of concern. Cynthia remained undeterred, however.

"We have trained and survived in worse conditions, we will definitely be fine, Nah. I believe in our collective strength. There is no way we heroes can fail!" She cried out into the night.

Nah wanted to believe in her leader's confidence, but in truth Plegia was still a very dangerous place. There were constantly reports of raids and kidnappings, especially this close to the border.

Nevertheless, the Justice Cabal marched forward, their goal set on the village not too far from them.

* * *

Robin was floating through dreamland when he found his mouth suddenly covered. His eyes burst open and he tried to sit up, but met resistance in the form of somebody's knee on his chest and a hand pressed firmly over his mouth. He started to struggle, but quickly recognized the dark figure sitting on him as the princess he was traveling with.

Lucina put a finger to her lips to signal him to be quiet, then pointed towards the window. Robin suddenly became aware of a woman's screaming coming from the main road, along with the sounds of a struggle. He peaked out the window, cautious in case somebody was looking towards the inn. If there was something bad happening, he needed to keep his presence hidden as much as possible, if for no other reason than to maintain an element of surprise.

In the middle of the road, a few horses were standing unattended. They had large bags tied to their saddles, likely containing gold and goods. By the emblems etched into the saddles and the gold trim on the cloth covering the horses' heads, Robin surmised these horses belonged to nobleman. Robin then traced his eyes to the other side of the road, towards the north. He saw four muscular men carrying a frantic woman. Each had one limb in grasp, carrying her towards the pack of horses. The woman's face was beaten, and she was wearing nothing but a torn white nightgown that now exposed her breasts. Her light brown hair was matted with blood from her injuries. Behind her, a man dressed in regal attire followed the men towards the horses, a horrid grin upon his face.

Robin pulled out the thunder tome that was tucked into his cloak folds and held it in his left hand while grabbing his sword from his desk with his right. He ran out his bedroom, Lucina following at his heels. They flew down the stairs and ran towards the front door, but Robin was stopped abruptly by somebody grabbing his arm. He turned, ready to attack, but saw the innkeeper shakily holding onto his arm. The man's eyes were red, and Robin could smell alcohol on the man's breath.

"Don't go out there unless you want to die" The man said, his voice still devoid of emotion.

"That woman needs our help!" Robin roared, his voice louder than he should be using it. He was simply frustrated that this man was stopping him.

"What is happening out there?" Lucina asked, though it was more demand than question. The man looked down at the floor sullenly, as if recalling a horrible memory.

"This is what happens to the villages in these parts….the noblemen come barging in, looking for women that have entered into their prime years… That's why we always stay inside. We never know when they will march through again. They…they take the women….they take away her innocence, and when they are done….they…they…" The man's voice cracked, obviously having experience with somebody being taken from him. When the man caught his words, he looked at Robin with eyes that seemed to have lost all hope.

"They put them in their own brothels….and if you go to rescue them, they kill you. If you try to intervene at any point in their raiding, they kill you. This is what we have to deal with….they just take and take and take…..if only I was stronger…then they wouldn't have been taken…." The man collapsed to the ground on his knees, his body slumped forward. His voice had cracked and broken, reflecting the spirit of the man himself. Robin's eyes were drawn to a picture behind the desk, which showed a man and his wife holding up their young daughter. The picture seemed to have faded from many years of display.

"Damn them…..Damn!" Robin yelled as he kicked open the front door, his voice full of rage. Lucina followed quickly behind him into the street, remaining in a quiet fury as they approached the men tying up the woman to one of the horses.

"Hohoho, what do we have here? A couple of dumb commoners, tryin' to rescue one of their whores?" One of the men that was carrying the woman said. All four of the muscular men were brutes, with crude leather armor and mismatching pieces of chainmail covering their arms and necks. Robin's eyes turned towards the man that was dressed in a noble's garb. His hair had been dyed orange, a practice common among the noble Plegians as of late.

"Sellswords" Robin muttered to Lucina. The nobleman was likely the one that filled the men's packs with gold, promising them riches if they helped to raid the villages.

"Tonight is your last night of pillaging amongst the civilians! Your actions are despicable. Turn yourselves in, or face death" Robin said as he took stance, his tome facing forward and his sword held ready behind him.

"Death? Who would kill us? You puny wimps?" One of the sellswords said. Judging by his ornate gold helmet, he was the leader of the group.

"You dare interfere with a noble!? This is my given right as the upper class of Plegia! Who are you to say such things to me!?" The nobleman yelled out. By his voice alone, Robin could sense the corruption present in the noble class.

"Who am I to say such things? I am the rightful-" Robin got out, letting his temper get the best of him before Lucina smacked him in the back.

"We can't let anybody know who we are" She whispered at him. Robin nodded, his anger not subsiding.

"It doesn't matter who we are, what you have done is unforgivable. If you will not surrender, then we will bring you swift justice" Lucina said, making it clear that they were serious.

"Hey boss, this one here is quite pretty too. I say after we kill the guy, we take her back as well" The head sellsword yelled back at the nobleman. The man squinted in the dark, making out Lucina's figure.

"Well, she doesn't have much assets to work with, but I suppose her face could catch a pretty coin" The man replied. Robin grew furious, stretching his left arm out and summoning crackling lighting to his fingertips, ready to strike. He never got the chance, however.

Lucina dashed forward, evading all the hands of the sellswords, and brought her blade up to the throat of the nobleman. The man let out a slight yelp as his mercenaries clumsily unsheathed their blades, unsure of how to proceed.

"I'm afraid I have no taste for men like you" Lucina said with full venom in her voice. She swung the sword around in a spinning motion, smacking the man with the flat of her blade at the back of his skull, knocking the noble unconscious. The man collapsed into a heap against the dirt road, while the sellswords started to close the distance on Lucina.

"Get that bitch!" The leader cried out. Lucina readied her blade and took a step back, analyzing the men's formation.

"Don't forget me!" Robin yelled as he sprinted in from the back of the formation. He used some wind magic to push himself off the ground and high into the air, spinning as he did so. He used his wind magic again to slow himself as he was right above the mercenaries, who formed a diamond below him. Robin finally called upon the lighting that had been building within his fingers since they had come outside, extending his hand and releasing a ball of light as he finished his spell.

"Arcthunder!" He roared. The ball of light shot down to the center of the men's formation then erupted into lightning bolts, which stunned all of the sellswords and glued them to their place. Robin used wind magic to accelerate his fall and dashed forward, his sword striking the front and right men. Lucina charged forward, cutting down the leftmost man, leaving only the leader of the gang.

"Damn you both!" He roared, swinging a large golden sword down at Lucina. She moved to dodge, but found herself caught as the man she had cut down grasped her ankles with his dying breath. She stumbled and lost grip of Falchion, and could only bring up both arms to shield her head from the blow, but it never came. When she looked up, Robin was standing in front of her, his sword locked against the larger man's. However, Robin was only using one hand to hold the sword, and didn't seem to be struggling at all to hold off the mercenary. A faint black glow was starting to surround both his hands, and his eyes started glowing red.

"Nosferatu!" He roared. The leader was caught in a black cloud and screamed as he felt his life draining away. Lucina watched in horror as Robin just stared at the cloud, showing no emotion.

"Robin, stop!" Lucina cried out.

Suddenly, Robin shook his head and seemed to wake from whatever daze he was in. He balked at the sight and recalled the dark magic immediately, however the man was already dead.

Robin fell to a knee, suddenly gasping for air. He felt as if somebody was choking him, though there was no such obstruction causing the sensation. Lucina rushed over to him, though was cautious at the same time in her approach. He waved a hand up to signal he was fine, then collapsed into the sand on his back, breathing heavily now that the battle was done.

"Robin…what exactly was that?" Lucina asked as she picked up Falchion.

"I'm not sure….the last thing I remember was seeing the sword coming down on you, and it was like my body acted on its own. Don't worry though, it isn't like when I was being control. While my body moved itself, my head wasn't burning, and I was easily able to regain control. Though….this certainly is a new development…" Robin said, his last words being a note to himself. Lucina nodded hesitantly as she sheathed Falchion. She knew Robin could be controlled by the dark forces, and she had once confronted him over it. Though, it was as Robin had said. When Robin was previously controlled by Grima's magic, he let out a certain aura of hatred and anger that she could sense. This time, all Lucina could sense was fear coming off the man.

"Just don't let it happen again. I know you like to give into your carnal natures, but try to control yourself" Lucina said in her normal emotionless tone as she went to untie the woman from the horse. The woman was still hysterical, but Lucina worked her best to calm her down, while her family rushed out to thank the two travelers. Robin rolled from the dirt and slipped away from the celebration unnoticed, walking over to where the nobleman was laying. He stood there waiting, examining the different pieces of cloth the man had on him for insignia, until Lucina finally joined back up with him.

"Even if we bring peace to the world, there will still be scum like this" Robin said, hatred and venom evident in his voice. He had been imagining if Morgan were here to be taken by these vile men, and he could barely contain his anger.

"I guess it just adds to our job then. Once we attain the piece of the Fire Emblem, we should make sure to reform the nobles here before moving to the next location. After all, you have a certain influence" Lucina replied. Robin looked up in surprise that her words seemed sincere.

"As we can see, your deviant ways certainly already have quite the influence" Lucina added with a blank stare.

Robin slouched over in defeat, still unsure of if Lucina was joking or not.

"Do you….do you understand jokes now? Did something change while I was in jail?" He asked in desperation. Lucina flashed a quick smile, then turned and walked away, leaving Robin dumbfounded.

"That doesn't answer anything! Damnit!" He yelled. His attention turned back to the nobleman, who was still laying in a heap, and the approaching innkeeper.

"Don't worry, I don't think he will be any harm to you anymore. Now I just have to figure out what to do with him…" Robin thought aloud to the old man innkeeper.

"Oh yeah, do you happen to know of any ancient ruins to the south? Or any heroic legends that occurred near there?" Robin asked the man, remembering his true purpose.

The innkeeper stroked his chin, thinking on the question. His eyes suddenly lit up as the answer came.

"Ah, I think there's a folk legend about a dragon and a hero near the coast down there. Though that would be a week's travel from here, and the way is dangerous around the southern desert" The man replied, his last message with a fair amount of fear in his voice. He likely had first-hand experience, the way he seemed to recall the danger.

"Could you give me directions? I'm afraid we are quite the danger seekers ourselves" Robin said with a grin. The man detailed him a few directions, which Robin noted into the back of his thunder tome. When the innkeeper was finished, Robin waved Lucina over away from the crowd of villagers, who were pilfering through the saddlebags of the mercenaries.

"I have our directions, we are to head-" Robin started to speak.

"ROBIN! I FOUND YOU!" A girl's voice came from seemingly nowhere.

"Oh gods….that's…" Lucina said as she looked around, instantly recognizing the voice. Neither of them saw anybody, until Robin ended up in a heap as a girl fell from the sky on top of him.

"Owwww…" He moaned out. On top of him, Cynthia was clutching his abdomen tight in a bear hug, obviously happy to see him.

"Robin, I have looked all over for you! Why couldn't you wait for me? Also, who helped you-…wait, Lucina, why are you here?" Cynthia asked, perking into a sitting position on top of Robin. Lucina took a step back, unsure of how to tell her sister that she helped a man awaiting execution escape.

"Captain, why do you have to rush so far ahead? Can't you tell we are….Lucina?" Inigo asked in surprise. He and Owain had strode into town right behind Cynthia on horseback. Nah also came walking behind them, her body exhausted from remaining in her dragon state for so long. All four members of the Justice Cabal looked with great confusion at the blue haired princess.

Robin's mind entered overtime, realizing Cynthia was here to capture them (and given her obsession, would likely never let Robin go). He glanced down at the nobleman, and suddenly remembered Owain and Cynthia's obsession with justice. He stood up quickly, sending Cynthia rolling off of him.

"Alas, Lucina has helped me to stop this great evil doer! He has kidnapped young maidens across the land and held them captive! Only the bravest of those who bring about justice can handle him from here!" Robin yelled out, doing his best Owain impersonation with his hand gestures. As he suspected, Cynthia and Owain grew bright eyed, and even Inigo was enthralled at the mention of maidens.

"Are you telling me only we can handle this evil of a man?" Cynthia asked, her voice bubbling in excitement. Robin drew close to her with a grin, apologizing internally for playing on her emotions.

"Why yes, dear Cynthia. I believe only you and your Justice Cabal can handle his punishment"

As expected, Cynthia seemed to swoon at Robin's words, and Inigo and Owain left their horses to surround the nobleman. Robin motioned his head at the now fuming Lucina, who just witnessed what her father jokingly-but-not-really-jokingly had warned her of, to go take the horses. As Lucina got on her horse, Robin bolted to their rooms at the inn and grabbed their packs, then sprinted and jumped onto his horse, tossing Lucina her pack in the process. Unfortunately, there was still the issue of Nah standing behind them. Robin opened his mouth to say something persuasive, but Nah shook her head and let out a sigh.

"Just go….I'm sure they will figure it out eventually. I need a rest anyways, I'm not the energetic ball my mother is" Nah said with a slight smile.

"Thanks, Nah. We certainly owe you one. I'll buy you anything you want the next time I see you!" Robin called to her as he spurred his horse on, Lucina catching up to his side. They pushed the horses hard, finally leaving the village behind them, hopefully giving them enough of a head start to evade Cynthia for some time.

"Well, where to next, deviant?" Lucina asked. Robin knew that he was going to wake up in pain for what he did with Cynthia, but he shrugged it off for now as tomorrow's burden. He pointed his sword towards the left side of a fork in the road.

"We go there. The path will take us all the way to the ruins where part of the Fire Emblem is. Let's just hope we don't run into anyone else along the way. I already have plenty to worry about" Robin said, sheathing his sword and glancing at the directions in his tome to make sure they were heading down the correct path/

At the sound of Cynthia calling his name from behind, he spurred his horse onwards, anxious to get to a possible piece of the Fire Emblem and as far away from the village as he could.

* * *

 **A/N: We are starting to get past setup and into the actual bulk of the journey now. I'm honestly not sure how long this story will be, but it will be broken up into pieces by location of Robin and Lucina, and will jump around between characters, some chapters will contain little to no instances of our two leads so far. As for who Robin will end up with, I don't know that either. Although, that is the best way to write this story, as eventually the number of romantic moments he has with each girl will even out, and I won't have any bias towards one or the other. I do currently have a poll up on my profile, but its only purpose currently is to steer the story for the moment towards who gets the initial moments with Robin. I will eventually put another poll to see which character suits Robin best in this story, and will take the audience contribution into mind. Also, please let me know what other pairings you'd like to see, outside of Robin's final relationship.**

 **Review answering time!**

 **Guest 1 (long review)-Thank you for all the ideas and feedback, there is certainly a lot of places this story can go, and right now I just have a skeleton for framework. I will definitely consider all of your ideas! I hope I answered some of your questions in the above A/N, there will be an even number of romantic moments between all the girls. Robin will, of course, be spending the most time with Lucina due to the nature of the story, but I'd hardly call their interactions romantic.**

 **Draen- Thank you for your input! In all likelihood, this will not turn into a harem, though I can never speak for what my future self will do. As it stands now, Robin will have just one romantic partner in the end.**

 **Guest 2 (short review)- Thanks for the feedback, and no matter what somebody says I'll always take into consideration when writing. Thank you for the concern though!**

 **Until next time,**

 **Austin**


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